The present invention relates to an above-ground, portable, double-walled container for storing waste liquids.
Underground storage tanks are currently used to store petroleum products such as gasoline, crude oil and heating oil as well as chemicals listed on the Environmental Protection Agency's hazardous substance list. Contamination of ground water from these underground storage tanks has become a serious problem. Antiquated steel tanks lacking corrosion protection, leak detection devices and spill prevention devices are a prime source of this form of pollution.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed new regulations to prevent contamination from such underground storage tanks. These regulations require that all newly installed underground tanks be protected from corrosion. A steel tank must be cathodically protected and coated with corrosion-resistant materials. Other tanks must be made totally of a non-corrodible material such as fiberglass or of a composite of steel and non-corrodible material. The materials in the tank must also be electrolytically compatible with the stored product. All tanks must also have leak-detection systems that provide monitoring at least every 30 days and devices that prevent spills and overfills. Additionally, tanks used to store hazardous chemicals must have dual or secondary containment tanks and leak detection systems installed between the inner and outer tanks.
Owners of underground tanks have begun to seek other methods of storage because of these and other onerous environmental regulations. These other methods have included the smaller and temporary above-ground use of 55 gallon drums and 275 gallon basement fuel tanks. Unfortunately, the use of these drums and tanks has not been without problems. Due to the absence of adequate corrosion protection, these drums and tanks have developed serious leaks. Containment dikes have been built around these above-ground tanks to collect the leaked contaminated liquids. These dikes, however, have caused other problems. For example, the dikes often become filled with rain water. Any additional leakage from the tanks simply overflows the sides. If the drums or tanks are empty, they often float or capsize in the filled dikes. Drains have been installed to allow collected water to be withdrawn, but if the drain plugs are inadvertently let loose or not replaced, they serve no useful purpose. In most cases, the dikes create more problems than they solve. There is still a need for suitable alternative above-ground waste storage tanks.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an above-ground storage tank which is both practical and convenient.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a storage tank as above which complies with and in most cases exceeds environmental regulations.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a storage tank as above which is portable.
These and other objects and advantges will become more apparent from the following description and drawings in which like reference numerals depict like elements.